OCM BOCES students to compete in 2015 Academic Bowl

A team of four students from the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison Board of Cooperative Education Services (OCM BOCES) Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program will compete at the 2015 Regional Academic Bowl for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students on December 11-14, 2014 at the New York State School for the Deaf in Rome, NY.

The OCM BOCES team is made up of students Aruasy Barrios, Amy Christen, Jacob Sikorski, and Vannessa  Zurbruegg, and led by head coach and OCM BOCES Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program teacher Lisa Austin and assistant coach and Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program interpreter Penny Killeen (pictured at right, standing left to right: Barrios, Christen, Sikorski, Zurbruegg. Seated, left to right: Austin, Killeen).

The Academic Bowl is an extremely competitive, annual competition sponsored by Gallaudet University. It consists of five Regional Academic Bowls and a National Academic Bowl, which aim to foster the pursuit of academic excellence, promote a spirit of academic competition and good sportsmanship and encourage social opportunities among students.

“Our students have been working and studying daily since the end of September in preparation for the competition. They’re very excited and looking forward to it,” says Austin.

The team will compete on Friday, December 12, from 9:45 a.m. until 4:45 p.m., and again on Saturday, December 13, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Their fellow students in the OCM BOCES Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program and the Solvay American Sign Language class will attend Friday’s competition to support and cheer them on.

The New York School for the Deaf is located at 401 Turin Street, Rome, NY.

For more information about OCM BOCES, its Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, and other educational opportunities for kids and adults, visit ocmboces.org.

Deaf athlete reads to and teaches students

Matt “The Hammer” Hamill is a deaf American amateur wrestler and mixed martial arts fighter. Matt was a three-time NCAA Wrestling Division III National Champion from 1997-1999 while attending the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. He is currently a fighter for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and takes time to visit schools to speak with young people. 

During the month of March, Matt came to Solvay High School through the help and support of Le Moyne College’s American Sign Language class in connection to the literacy incentive, Read Across America. While at Solvay High School, Hamill read and signed the story Ferdinand the Bull to the students. He also gave a presentation on his life and the many challenges he has faced and overcome due to his hearing loss. 

OCM BOCES Teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing, Lisa Austin, helped arrange Matt’s visit to the school and was very pleased with the students’ reception of him. She said, “The students enjoyed having a famous athlete come and sign a story to them. Hamill really encouraged the students to strive for their dreams and to not let anything stand in their way of what they want to accomplish in life. He was very inspirational.”

After his presentation, Hamill signed autographs, took pictures with the students and spoke to them on a personal level. The day was a complete success.